Agmatine attenuates the disruptive effects of phencyclidine on prepulse inhibition.

• Agmatine, a decarboxylation product of arginine, is thought to be an important neuromodulator in the mammalian brain. It is proposed to exert neuroprotective, anxiolytic and antidepressant effects. The receptor-binding profile of agmatine is complex and includes interaction with alpha(2)-adrenergic and imidazoline I(1) receptors. Furthermore, agmatine is an NMDA-receptor antagonist and inhibits nitric oxide synthase. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response is used as a measure of the pre-attentive information processing. PPI is lowered in schizophrenia and this impairment can be mimicked in experimental animals using the psychotomimetic drug phencyclidine (PCP). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of agmatine per se on the PPI response and the effects of agmatine pre-treatment on a PCP-induced disruption of PPI. Agmatine administration (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) did not change the PPI response or the acoustic startle response. However, pre-treatment with agmatine 20 mg/kg, but not agmatine 40 mg/kg, significantly attenuated a PCP (5 mg/kg)-induced disruption of the PPI response. These results emphasize the potential role of agmatine as a neuromodulator and potential target for novel treatments for brain disorders.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Farmakologi och toxikologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Pharmacology and Toxicology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Agmatine

pharmacology

Animals

Dose-Response Relationship

Drug

Male

Mental Processes

drug effects

Mice

Nitric Oxide Synthase

antagonists & inhibitors

Phencyclidine

pharmacology

Receptors

N-Methyl-D-Aspartate

antagonists & inhibitors

Startle Reaction

drug effects

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)